Governor Nasir El-Rufai, of Kaduna State has disclosed that a new deadly terror group, ‘Gausiyya’ has started operating in the state.

The governor in a radio interview at the weekend, while justifying the need to regulate religious activities in the state, raised the alarm over the emergence of ‘Gausiyya’ in Markafi Local Government Area of the state.

He noted that there was a security report of an emergence of ‘Gausiyya’ which according to him was a dangerous Islamist group in the state.

The governor said, “We had a security report that a new Islamic organization called Gausiyya is springing up in one of our local government areas, precisely Makarfi.

“After studying the group’s activities, we understand that it is not a sect that we should allow to stay in our state.

“They preach contrary to the teachings of Islam and are gradually recruiting youth in the name of religion.

“We have decided to stop the group and their activities before they grew and become a problem for the state.

“Negligence is what brought about the Maitatsine in the 80’s and the Boko Haram insurgents we are now fighting,” El-Rufai stated, saying it was the reason for the religious bill which had caused a stir.

He said, “The state government will not be responsible for issuing any license to preaching bodies or a new preacher who just surfaces.

“A committee that will consist of clerics nominated by the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, and the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, will issue religious bodies permits depending on their faith.

“To curtail the excesses of this growing sect, we came up with the proposed law to regulate religious activities in the state,” the governor averred.